Safety grille



Aug. 7, 1951 P. c. REILLY ETAL SAFETY GRILLE Filed May 8, 1945 s u R E Y w E NY N EL R L O N A T R T .H A

Patented Aug. 7, 1 951 SAFETY GRILLE Paul C. Reilly, West Berlin, N. J and Fowler H. Cardwell, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application May 8, 1945;S erialNo. 592,584

1 Claim.

This invention relates to safety grilles, and more particularly to a safety grille useful as a guard across open windows, doorways, and the like.

The primary object of our invention is to provide an improved safety grille which can be readily attached to window frames to prevent persons, and particularly children, from falling out of open windows; which will protect window panes against being broken by children at play; and which will act as a deterrent or obstacle to the entrance of sneak thieves or other unauthorized persons through an open window.

More particularly, it is an object of our invention to provide an improved safety grille or guard as aforesaid whichis adjustable for accommodation to windows and doorways of various sizes and which can be installed in a facile manner even by one not especially skilled in the handling of tools.

Another object of our invention is to provide an improved safety grille which can be marketed in a knocked down condition and can be assembled readily for easy adjustment and installation.

Still another object of our invention is to provide an improved safety grille as above set forth which can be attached to window frames, doorways, or the like without requiring any permanent alteration or defacement of the window frame, door frame, or similar structure.

A further object of our invention is to provide an improved window guard which will act as a strong, rigid barrier when installed on a window frame, yet can be removed quickly and easily when the window is to be washed or when, for

any other reason, its presence is not desired.

Still a further object of our invention is to provide an improved safety grille which, when installed, will permit substantially the same degree of ventilation as though it were not present.

It is also an object of our invention to provide an improved safety grille as set forth above which is exceedingly simple in construction, inexpensive in cost, and highly efficient in use.

According to one form of our invention, we provide an adjustable frame which carries a plurality of spaced rods or bars running either horizontally or vertically between the frame pieces. In a preferred construction, the frame may consist of two side orend pieces, a top piece and a bottom piece, The top and bottom pieces may be secured to one of the side pieces, while the other side piece is adjustably received, on the top and bottom pieces of the frame, the last mentioned sidepiece thus being adjustable longitudinally means.

along the top and bottom pieces. A plurality of guard rods or bars extend in parallel relation through suitable openings in the last mentioned side piece and are preferably secured to the first mentioned side piece, whereby the movable or adjustable side piece is also slidable along the parallel rods as well as along the top and bottom frame pieces.

The assembly may be sold in knocked down condition. When the grille or guard is to be set up for use, the top and bottom frame pieces and the parallel rods or bars therebetween are first inserted into appropriate openings or slots in the stationary side piece of the frame and are secured thereto by screws or any other suitable The adjustable side piece of the frame is then mounted on the top and bottom frame pieces and receivesthe free ends of the parallel rods or bars through appropriate openings therein. The adjustable frame piece may then he slid along the top and bottom frame pieces to the desired position for accommodation of the frame to the width of a selected window or doorway after which the adjustable side piece is secured in place to each of thetop and bottom frame pieces as well as to the intervening bars or rods by means of additional screws or the like. The protruding ends of the top and bottom frame pieces and of the intervening bars or rods may then be cut off, if desired, or they may be retained at full length in the event that the uard or grille is later to be used on a window or doorway of greater length or width. The frame and the rods or bars carried thereby may be made of wood, metal, plastics or any other suitable material. Mounting of the grille may be accomplished by means of suitable mounting brackets carried by the side pieces of the frame for cooperation with substantially inconspicuous mounting members carried by the framework of the window or doorway.

The novel features that we consider characteristic of our invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, as well as additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of one embodiment thereof, when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Figure l is a front elevation of an assembled windowguard constructed in accordance withone form of our=invention, i

Figure; 2 is an end view thereof as seen from the right of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, end view of the lower portion thereof showing one way in which the guard may be mounted in place on the Window frame,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a window with one of our improved guards mounted in place on the window frame, and

Figure 5 is an enlarged, perspective view 01 the mounting bracket of- Figure 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawing wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout, there is shown a grille useful as a window guard and comprising a rectangular frame having two upright end members I and 3, a top member 5 and a bottom member I. The upright member I is provided with slots or channels 9 and II and a plurality of recesses or openings I 3 which extend th'ereinto a suitable distance short of its width (for example, about two-thirds or three-fourths of its width). The top and bottom frame members 5 and 'I are received, respectively, in the slots 9 and II in parallel relation to each other and are secured to the frame member I in any suitable manner, as by screws I5. Within the openings I3 are received a plurality of parallel rods or bars I! arranged in parallel relation with the top and bottom frame members 5 and 1 and constituting guard members. The guard members I! may also be secured to the upright frame member I by screws I5 or the like. Thus, the frame parts I, and 1 and e guar me e I c nst t a ri idly c upled. uni ith the fr m pa t 5 and 1 se ur d to the f ame part I n xed r i n heret Th upright fame part 3 constitutes he a justable member of the frame. For this purpose, the frame part 3 is provided with slots or channels Is and '2! hi h xt nd en ire y ere throu h a b stseen in Figure an re ueo .tively receive the upper and lower frame parts 5 and '1. Thus, the up ight a e p 3 can h slid longitudinally along the frame parts 5 and I for adjustment of the flame, to the size required for a particular window or doorway. The frame member 3 is, also provided with, a plurality of openings 23 which extend entirely'therethrough in alignment it he op ni s I3 and whi receive the guard rods or bars 11. l-Ience, when the frame member 3 is adjusted along the frame parts 5 and I, it is simultaneously also adjusted longitudinally along the guard members H. The frame member 3 may be secured to the parallel frame parts 5 and I and the guard members IT in any selected position of adjustment thereon by serews 2 5 or any other suitable means. By merely loosening the screws 25, the frame part 3 may be easily ad us la er to s me other: s it able position onthe frame The frame members I and 3 are provided with mounting brackets 21 by means of which the as' sem led rille or guard. may be. m unt on a sui able ub-portin structure, such as a window frame 23. To this end, the brackets 21 may be formed'with inverted key hole-slots 3| for coop eration in well known manner with small, in-

conspicuous, mounting screws 33 which are .To .set it-up for use, it is merely necessary to place the frame parts 5 and I intotheirrespective slots members 5 and 1 an h u rd ember I if d r d.

or channels 9 and II and secure them to the frame part I by the screws I5. Similarly, the rods or bars I1 are inserted into the openings I3 and secured to the frame part I by like screws I5. The frame part 3 is then slid onto the upper and lower frame parts 5 and I whereupon it will receive the guard members I! in the openings 23 thereof, and the frame part 3 is then adjusted to the desired position on the frame parts 5 and 1 and the guard members I! and releasably locked thereto by the screws 25. Thereafter, the screws are screwed into the window frame 29 in proper locations and the grille is mounted on the screws 33, in laterally spaced relation to the window, as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4, by means of the brackets 21 to provide a firm, rigid, Sturdy window guard that will effectively protect persons from falling out of the open window, as shown in Figure 4. The guard will also serve as a deterrent to entrance through the open window o sn k hi v of other nauthori e pe sons. At the same time, it will be observed that our improved window guard does not appree ciably reduce ventilation through the open Win- 'dow. Furthermore, when the window is closed while the guard is in place, the guard will pro tect the window panes against accidental break age, as by c i ren at p ay- A window guard as described above can be assembled and installed in but a' few minutes with the aid of conventional tools customarily found in the house, even by one not skilled in the handling of such tools, and it can be disassembled for storage just as easily. If desired, the ends of the frame members 5 and -1 and the guard members I1 which protrude beyond the frame member 3 (shown in dot-.andedash lines in Figure 4) may be cut off flush with the frame member 3 after the latter has been secured in adjusted position. On the other hand, these protruding ends may be left intact if the grille is also to be used at times on wider windows or doorways. Our improved grille permits of adjustment over a wide range and its utility is therefore greatly enhanced.

Although we have shown and described but a single embodiment of our invention, it will undoubtedly be apparent that many other forms thereof, as well as various changes in the par.- ticular embodiment described herein, are possible. We therefore desire that our invention shall not be limited except insofar as is made necessary by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

We claim as our invention;

A safety grille for an opening having a movable closure, said grille comprising, in combination, a single, rectang lar trams s ruc e n wo pa a le ports (2. a i d r secured to said parallel parts and constituting one end member of said frame structure, and a sin e f r h p t onstit tin th op osite end member of said frame structure,- a plu"- rality of parallel guard members secured to said hi d frame P r and extendin pa a l r lation to said parallel frame parts, said fourth frame part being carried solely by said two parallel frame parts and by said guard members and being adjustable on and alone the full lengths of each of said two parallel frame parts and said guard members, means for securing said fourth frame part to each of said parallel frame parts and said guard members in, any selected position of adjustment thereon, and mounting elements on said third and fourth'frame' parts for PAUL C. REILLY. FOWLER H. CARDWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Franklin Sept. 11, 1917 Houston June 2, 1925 Kemp Oct. 1, 1929 Kitzelman May 22, 1934 Kitzelman Nov. 26, 1940 Farmer Nov. 18, 1941 Becker et al. Dec. 1, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany 1904 

